


A Worn, Leatherbound Journal Filled With Fairy Tales

by growingCataclysm



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Animal Attack, Animal Metaphors, Animal Transformation, Bad Spanish, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Style, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Other, Spanish Translation, dave is a furry text it, english is my first language so thats why everything sucks, how do i INDENT, i think, i will format this eventually, no beta reader we die like men, the state of the world outside the book is very very vague, you bet theres gonna be grimm style fairy tales in here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:35:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26977462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/growingCataclysm/pseuds/growingCataclysm
Summary: "Are you serious, he never told you any fairy tales?""Nope. Bro hated that kiddy shit.""We need to fix this immediately."As it turns out, 'fixing this' entailed writing Dave his very own book of fairy tales. Rose alchemized the notebook, and everyone promised to write in it at least once. Everything written in it is documented here.Not every chapter will have references to Homestuck, direct or indirect. Any indirect references will be explained in the notes.
Relationships: Dave Strider & Dirk Strider
Kudos: 5





	A Worn, Leatherbound Journal Filled With Fairy Tales

**Author's Note:**

> one chapter and we're already ass deep in some metaphorical bullshit. also, this chapter was written so that i could eventually translate it into spanish, which in universe is the original language this was written in. obviously, though, this is a huge fucking metaphor for dirk's self-sacrificing tendencies and general regret and self-hate issues. try to understand all of the sybmolism, i bet you wont. winner gets a request or smth.
> 
> Bird = Dirk  
> Hodgepodge = Dave  
> Punch = Bro  
> The Moon isn't anyone sorry

Once upon a time, there were two boys, who were best friends. Though they were both orphans, they had grown up together, and so they called each other “brother”. They even gave each other names. The elder was named Bird, and the younger was named Hodgepodge. Bird had been named for his protective nature and loud voice, while Hodgepodge was named after his ever-changing nature, and his patchwork clothes.

The two brothers spent their mornings running errands for the nuns leading the orphanage, while their evenings were spent playing and adventuring in the town. Hodgepodge was curious, just like any young boy, and so loved to roam through every corner of the town. Bird, meanwhile, was reserved and quiet. Often, he could be found pulling Hodgepodge out of the dark alleys where criminals spent their days. Thus, the two were balanced, and kept each other in check.

When Hodgepodge was twelve, however, the city became too small for the adventurous boy. He begged Bird to allow him to adventure up to the mountains near the city. After many days, Bird relented, but on the condition that Hodgepodge always carry with him a knife. He agreed, and the two began to spend their afternoons roaming the mountains.

It was during one of these expeditions that our story truly takes place. You see, the sun had begun to set, and the two brothers had been separated. Hodgepodge roamed through the trees that covered the mountain, crying out for Bird. The trees returned no answer, and the boy began to despair.

“I can’t leave without him!” Hodgepodge sobbed to the trees. As he wandered around in search of his brother, he caught sight of a cave. “Maybe he is hiding in there?” He wondered, and dashed into the cave. However, within the cave was not his brother, but a puma! Hodgepodge cried out in fear, but the Puma did not attack, instead beginning to speak.

“Worry not, young child. I am Brother Punch.” Brother Punch spoke with a soft voice, gesturing to a cross burnt into his side. “Why do you cry so?”

“I am lost and I cannot find my brother.” Hodgepodge hiccuped, wiping his eyes, relaxed in the presence of a follower of God. “The sun is setting, and I am lost, and I cannot find my way back to town.” Brother Punch contemplated on this with a low purr. After many minutes, he raised his eyes to meet Hodgepodge’s, shaking his head.

“I am sorry to tell you this, child, but he has abandoned you. He has certainly returned to the village and told everyone of your death.” When he heard his words, Hodgepodge began to cry again in earnest, and Brother Punch offered to hold the boy underneath his head. “Do not worry, I can take you back to the village. However, the sun is setting, so you must stay here until morning.” Brother Punch cooed, petting Hodgepodge with a paw so large that it nearly covered the boy’s entire head. Finding no reason to distrust a follower of God, even such a strange one, Hodgepodge nodded his head and agreed.

“Where shall I sleep?” asked the boy, and Brother Punch gestured to his own bed, made of grass and corn husks. As Hodgepodge approached the bed, he noted that it smelled strange, but he didn’t dare question the generosity of the priest. And so, he laid down on the bed, the day’s stresses quickly bringing him down to sleep. 

Brother Punch watched the boy fall off to sleep, and his maw curled into a wide grin, filled with teeth.

“Tonight,” he mused in a quiet voice, careful not to wake the boy. “Tonight I will have the sweetest of snacks.” And so, Brother Punch stalked towards Hodgepodge, crouching down beside him. He had not had such a delicious meal in a long time, so the puma decided to savour this one, and leaned in to bite off one of Hodgepodge’s hands. As he opened his jaw, musty breath pouring over the boy, he felt a burst of pain in his hip! His jaws snapped closed, but the pain had thrown off his aim, and he was only able to take the boy’s pinky finger.

Hodgepodge awoke, screaming, and both of them looked to the entrance of the cave, where they saw none other than Bird! Bird’s knife was buried in Brother Punch’s side, and he began to scream in pain and anger, his true colours revealed.

“Brother, run to me!” called Bird, and Hodgepodge quickly stood up and ran to his side, fear quickening his steps. Bird took his hand and yanked him away, the two using the last of the sun’s light to flee through the trees. However, Brother Punch was much larger, and knew these woods. He quickly caught the scent of Hodgepodge’s blood, and began to chase two through the trees, his pursuit signalled by a deafening roar.

The did not take long to disappear entirely, leaving the two scared brothers in the dark. They stopped in a clearing with Brother Punch not far behind. Bird crouched down, about to tell Hodgepodge to run for his life, when the moon began to rise above them. The moon saw the two boys, prepared to sacrifice their lives for one another, and took pity upon them.

“Children.” called a soothing voice, and the boys looked over their shoulders to a vague being, composed only of pure, white light. The world around them suddenly went silent, and everything froze, even the leaves falling down from the ground. “I am the Moon. You both were fated to die today, but I see your love for one another, so I have decided to spare you both.” Both boys looked at each other in awe and wonder, taken aback by the miracle in front of them.

“However,” warned the Moon, the two boys quickly looking back up to her, “I cannot defy God entirely. Your mortal bodies here will perish, but you will both be reborn as one of his creations. You two will be the first of a new species, one built to be a comfort and companion to humanity. The greatest friend to a thief, the greatest fear to a rat. Do you accept?”

The two boys looked at one another, their faces betraying a silent conversation, before they once again turned up to look at the Moon.

“We accept.” They said as one, and the being that is the Moon began to brighten, more and more until both were forced to close their eyes. When they awoke, they found themselves in their hometown. They were both small, and down on all fours, coated in soft fur. Hodgepodge was the smallest of the two, white fur spotted with patches of orange and black. A long tail curved back and forth behind him, observed with large, brown eyes. Bird, meanwhile, had fur in a light, creamy orange. It was criss-crossed with dark stripes, the colour of mud under a setting sun. His tail was shorter than his brother’s, and his eyes glittered a pale green. Suddenly, the two were roused from their observations by a strange voice echoing in their head.

“I will call you... ‘Cats’.” declared the voice, and the world around them sprang back into action, unaware of the miracle beneath their feet.


End file.
